Disqus - Friends of brandonacox

Re: A Second 2nd Amendment? Kansas Initiative Would Reaffirm Right to Bear Arms

themaskedblogger — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:17:33 -0000

Pray the Almighty the war is not coming; I'd prefer not to see my country so wounded. But keeping your powder dry is good advice at all times and places, because one never knows what may be coming.

Re: Justice at the Justice Department?

themaskedblogger — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 21:57:04 -0000

Probably even legal, too, if you stay outside of the electioneering boundary. I suspect the squeals would be deafening either way.

Re: Secretary Salazar: Drilling Ban Stays Until “I Feel Comfortable”

themaskedblogger — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:11:03 -0000

That would be the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Re: Write-In Chef Adds Even More Flavor to Spicy South Carolina Senate Race

themaskedblogger — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:50:38 -0000

I liked my comment, but it got moderated out (sigh). In any event, well said, indeed.

Re: Obama Makes First Midterm Campaign Television Ad

themaskedblogger — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:29:55 -0000

It's all in the wrist...

Re: Bush: Elites “Didn’t Think I Could Read a Book, Much Less Write One”

themaskedblogger — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:18:46 -0000

Hear, hear.

His silence since is a political phenomenon. Class act, indeed.

Re: Obama Makes Special Appeal to Blacks | The FOX Nation

themaskedblogger — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:40:17 -0000

Just so. It is a great pity, and grossly unfair.

And I do not believe I shall ever forgive him for wasting the best opportunity for real health care reform the nation has ever had.

Re: Jesse Jackson: Our Gov’t Induces Poverty | The FOX Nation

themaskedblogger — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:41:42 -0000

Just as evil, though.

Re: More White House Staffing Moves

themaskedblogger — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:41:01 -0000

One wonders if the President is hearing sufficient contrary advice...

Re: WATCH: Dem Rep. Can't Answer Question About Constitution | The FOX Nation

themaskedblogger — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:04:02 -0000

It occurs to me the Constitution would be much easier to read than the Health Care thingy as it is so much shorter...

Re: WATCH: Dem Rep. Can't Answer Question About Constitution | The FOX Nation

themaskedblogger — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:08:32 -0000

I considered voting Absentee so as to allow the Sec'y of State additional time to could my ballot before I figured out that those folks are government employees and it would likely be better to not confuse the issue.

Then I thought about making a donation to A C O R N so I could vote two or three times-- to prolong the joy, you'll understand-- before I concluded that that is, constitutionally, just a tad presumptuous and had to give it up... (sigh)

Roll on, November :)

Re: President Obama Packs Schedule with Campaign Events

themaskedblogger — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:01:29 -0000

It varies. Sometimes the party involved picks up part of the tab, but mostly it is the taxpayers. The Secret Service has to protect the President wherever he goes, so all the "extras"--like, for example, the fleet of armored cars the President uses--is on our dime.

Re: Poll: Women See Obama Admin. as 'Failure' | The FOX Nation

themaskedblogger — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:22:32 -0000

Just a guess, but I suspect they'd have gotten the same result if they had polled men...

Re: Rove Wants to Meet White House “Idiot” who Dreamed Up Funding Attack

themaskedblogger — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:22:35 -0000

Now *there's* a scary thought :)

Re: Obama's Long and Evolving Enemies List

themaskedblogger — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:01:31 -0000

You gotta love somebody who can make a telling point in a single line.

Re: Islamic Center Defaced With Bacon Slices | The FOX Nation

themaskedblogger — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:58:06 -0000

That's odd... The link is from C B S...

Re: Gloves Off in Pennsylvania Senate Race -- New Ads, Cries of Foul, and a New Poll

themaskedblogger — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:54:49 -0000

They can read and cipher...

Re: Gloves Off in Pennsylvania Senate Race -- New Ads, Cries of Foul, and a New Poll

themaskedblogger — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:56:28 -0000

It's cut and paste anyway, verbatim from a few days ago.

Re: Power Play Update: What Happened to Firing Up the Base?

themaskedblogger — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:07:18 -0000

Every time I try to convince myself the President is not utterly out of touch with the electorate, he goes and does something like this to prove me wrong. He's expecting a opposition majority, at least in the House, and he thinks they're going to work with him? He doesn't grasp that the reason this will happen is because the People don't approve of what he's done? That these same opposition politicos he will face are even now campaigning on a platform of repeal?

I read there's a movement in California to legalize certain recreational vegetables. How astonishing they did not first ban Kool-aid.

Re: Obama Approval Sinks to All-Time Low | The FOX Nation

themaskedblogger — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:12:21 -0000

Lowest ever, huh? Wait 'till next week.

Re: Nevada Senate Face-Off

themaskedblogger — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 06:45:01 -0000

Hard to believe he said all that with a straight face. Great career ahead at the poker table :)

Re: Justice Dept. Asks Judge to Overturn Ruling on Gay Ban

themaskedblogger — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 06:56:28 -0000

And why?

Re: Listening to America: Plymouth, Flagstaff and Malibu voters speak out

themaskedblogger — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:13:32 -0000

Seems I need to read some more Dr. Rodgers...

Re: Listening to America: Plymouth, Flagstaff and Malibu voters speak out

themaskedblogger — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:17:34 -0000

I would like to think the President is trying to buy the Defense Department the time it needs to figure out how and issue the orders, etc., just as they asked. I don't, but I would like to.

Re: The Democratic Move this Week that even Shocked Some Democrats

themaskedblogger — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:43:45 -0000

What? Banks get government money for foreclosing? Says whom? I never heard of such a thing...

OTOH, I have to agree, banks are motivated by money, or at least profit. One of the big reasons they don't want to foreclose is they have to take the losses for the mortgage balance, plus interest and fees, less the salvage value of the collateral. One of the big reasons why they pursue foreclosure so vigorously once they start is that *all* the money invested in a non-paying loan is lost to them--and the economy, btw-- until they can repossess and dispose of the property, not just the part they have to eat anyway.

Oh! Just by the way, have you considered what will happen to the money supply if the aggregate capital structure of US banks is suddenly decreased by, say, a half-trillion dollars? I'll give you a hint... it won't be pretty. All those losses will have to be written off the capital structure of the banks and, due to good lending practices and government mandated reserve requirements, this will significantly reduce the total pool of money available to be borrowed. About 10 times the size of the write-off, in fact. Do I have to mention that this will make credit both harder to get and more expensive?

Not to say foreclosure is wrong-- it is in fact exactly what is needed. But it's powerful medicine and we'd best be careful how we take it.

And since I am on this soapbox, I have to say I don't think it is entirely the banks fault-- or perhaps I mean there is plenty of fault to go around. It is no secret that the Federal government required all financial institutions that offered mortgage loans to maintain a certain percentage of their total portfolio in the "sub-prime"-- meaning trash-- category. Insofar as this is true, whatever that percentage may have been, it can't be viewed as the banks fault: they were ordered to do it under civil and even criminal penalties, or go out of that segment of the business. The extent of the banks aggregate exposure that exceeds that minimum requirement is plain, old greed-- sub-prime pays better than top-drawer-- and the banks are, and should be, on the hook for it.

For the sake of brevity I won't even mention that sub-prime loans could have never gotten past a bank examiner before Bill Clinton signed the Community Reinvestment Act... :)